


un morceau de liberté

by LaCacciatrice



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, chatgami, eventually adrimi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-24 00:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16170179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaCacciatrice/pseuds/LaCacciatrice
Summary: And it all suddenly made sense. When he saved her, when he held her closely as they flew over the city, she felt a scrap of that freedom. And she wanted to understand, she wanted to feel it again. And it was him who brought it to her life, even if it was only for seconds.Or where Chat Noir saves Kagami's life and she doesn't understand why she's so attracted to Paris' black clad hero.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language. I apologize for every grammar mistake and typo. I also reread this while I was tipsy so...

Kagami has never thought about death. She never sat down and truly thought about it. It was part of human life, of course, but all lives ended one day and that was all there’s to know about death. The only funeral she attended to was her grandmother’s and it made her feel terrible for months to admit it but she didn’t feel much after her death. They were never really close. Her grandmother, just like her mother, was cold and distant. And she had no time to think about death. She was always busy with fencing, French lessons, ballet and school. She had such a busy, vivacious life that, death sounded like a promise that wouldn’t come for years. 

But as she fell to her death, time slowed down and she wondered if her mother would show any emotions at her funeral. It’s been only 5 months since their family moved to France and the only friend she had was her foe in fencing. Adrien Agreste. He was such an emotional, sensitive boy that he would definitely cry at her funeral despite knowing her for only 5 months. She didn’t shed a tear at her grandmother’s funeral and she knew her for her entire life.

She would laugh at the idea of Adrien crying at her funeral if she wasn’t falling to her death.

She closed her eyes. 

She was ready.

Something definitely hit her and she felt a terrible pain burst from her spine and spread to her entire body. However, that pain didn’t come from hitting the pavement that would turn her into a pancake in that exact moment. Whatever that hit her was strong yet soft and warm. 

“Try to wrap your arms around my neck!” Her eyes snapped open and she met a pair of electric green eyes. Except they weren’t human eyes for sure. She wasn’t in a position to think about strange eyes or situations. She wrapped her arms around the stranger’s neck, feeling slick and smooth material of his suit under her bare arms and over his shoulder she saw the city from a point of view that should be only normal for birds. 

Maybe she should have been worried. She was flying over the city in the arms of a stranger. But she didn’t feel any worries. She felt numb. It was like whatever she was experiencing wasn’t happening at the moment. It felt like a dream. Maybe that was a side effect of near-death experiences. 

Then, all of a sudden, they were (at least the stranger) standing on a rooftop and they were safe. He slowly put her down, her legs felt like jelly as soon as her well-polished shoes touched the floor. He probably felt this, his hands remained on her arms, steadying her on her feet. 

“Are you alright?” He asked and that was when she looked up at him. He had messy blond hair with electric green eyes that reminded her of cats. That explained fake cat ears. He was wearing a skin-tight cat suit. 

Chat Noir.

“You are Ladybug’s partner.” She said blankly. She was akumatized a couple of months ago, while she was still new to the city. She was so disappointed in herself for disappointing her mother that one second of weakness was enough to get possessed by a crazy villain that still haunted her dreams sometimes. She didn’t remember anything except waking up in the middle of Louvre and facing Ladybug herself. She was really sweet and nice but even that didn’t help to erase this cold feeling in her chest. She was used, turned into a monster and she couldn’t remember anything. It was a violation. She felt more scared than ever after watching the videos of herself, tracking down Adrien and almost killing him. Even Ladybug’s magic fixing Adrien’s ankle didn’t make her feel better.

She met Ladybug that day but she’s never seen Chat Noir in real life until now. 

He was a head taller than her. And he looked genuinely worried.

“I am okay.” She finally answered to his question. That made him smile. 

“Good.” He made sure she could stand on her feet before letting go of her arms and grabbing her hand instead. He leaned forward slightly and kissed her softly. Kagami blinked twice, still feeling like she was in a dream. “Please be careful from now on, mademoiselle.” 

Chat Noir took two big steps back and jumped off the rooftop like the show off he was.

Kagami blinked again. She looked around herself, trying to find a way to get down without praying for another superhero to show up and carry her. 

Ladyblog confirmed that the akuma was named The Linguist who was actually a language & literature student from Trento. Kagami expected her to be dressed up like a librarian but she was just a university student with long red hair, the only thing stood out was the thick dictionary in her hand which she was using to pick letters up and throw them at people. Ladybug didn’t even have to wait to spot the akumatized object, it was too obvious. The dictionary. She used her yoyo to grab her arm as Chat destroyed the dictionary with his claws. They didn’t even use Lucky Charm or Cataclysm. 

Ladyblog, as usual, didn’t state any names but it was okay (it was more than okay since she was also akumatized once), she wasn’t interested in the akuma after all. She watched the same videos from different angles over and over again. There was only one blurry video of Chat Noir saving her, as soon as Chat caught her, the camera zoomed back to Ladybug. But she wasn’t interested in her own rescue either. 

Like any other resident in Paris, she also watched Chat Noir and Ladybug videos before. Other than Riposte incident, she was never close to an akuma attack before. Her schedule was always full and she rarely walked in the streets. She had a chauffeur for a reason.

But this time, being away from streets couldn’t save her from becoming a victim. She was about to leave the building, her damp hair falling in front of her eyes due to the shower she took after her ballet class when she heard strange noises. She was the last one in the room since she liked to take her time after class. She loved a warm shower after working every muscle in her body for 2 hours. It felt so good. 

It was her mistake, she could admit. She was in Paris for 5 months and she should have known better than to get close to windows when there was something strange going on. One of Linguist’s sharp as knife letters broke floor-to-ceiling window in front of her all of a sudden and Kagami lost her balance. 

She watched the video one more time.   

There weren’t many videos of Riposte, not like The Linguist. Most of the fight happened indoors, Louvre, and the rest was her chasing after Adrien like a maniac and Ladybug trying to slow her down. She didn’t see Chat Noir that day. She didn’t see herself fighting the black clad hero. He was already gone when she was cleansed from akuma’s effect. 

She was surprised to find so little on the destructive hero of Paris. He clearly had his own fanbase but it was smaller and more humble compared Ladybug’s religious fans. That didn’t mean Paris didn’t appreciate Chat Noir, they were happy to have more than one hero. But with her cleansing power, Ladybug was the ultimate hero. She was capable, untouchable and god-like where Chat was silly, dorky and more on the human side of the scale. 

Kagami didn’t have any close friends other than Adrien because she didn’t have that much time to spend with them. Adrien’s case was similar which brought them closer in the first place. But she got along well with everyone in her class and her desk mate, Maëlys, was a sweet enough to answer her every question without showing any sign of being bored or annoyed.

Maëlys was the first one to explain her everything they knew about akumas and Papillon. She told her how Papillon used negative emotions to corrupt people and turn them into his supervillains and he was after Chat Noir and Ladybug’s Miraculous for some reason. Maëlys didn’t know what a Miraculous was but she showed Kagami ‘the Ladyblog’ and all the theories written by a girl named Alya. 

Kagami didn’t know how a girl had so much time in her hand to manage a blog like that. And how crazy she must be to chase after akumas. 

“What do you think of Chat Noir and Ladybug?” She asked casually one day. Maëlys seemed surprised. She wasn’t expecting her opinions to be asked by her new friend. She bit her lower lip thoughtfully for a second, her big green eyes focused on the ceiling. Kagami knew green eye colour was the rarest in the world yet she was surrounded by green eyed people apparently. Their eyes were all different though. Kagami found it hard to tell the difference between blue eyes unless they were an interesting shade but green eyes were... completely different. Chat Noir had electric green eyes and his were much more like a cat’s. Adrien had softer, grass green eyes that reminded her of a peaceful summer day. Maëlys’ eyes were a canvas painted with different shades. There were yellowish streaks in her irises.

“I don’t know. They protect Paris and I really admire their bravery. They face unknown each week, sometimes more than twice a week. And top of that, they are trying to protect their identity. It must be a hard work, right?” Her bright eyes turned to Kagami. “But it’s scary to live surrounded by superpowered people.”

“You think they would go rogue?” Maëlys looked down at her desk ashamedly.

“No! That’s not what I meant, it’s just... People put so much trust in Ladybug. She’s not omnipotent. I am afraid one day she will not be able to fix something and the city will go crazy. And Chat Noir brings more destruction than salvation.”

“You don’t like him?” Kagami raised an eyebrow but her voice didn’t come out as accusing. She was simply curious.

“No, I think he’s cool. And pretty cute. Most people think he’s a silly sidekick but I think he’s trying extra hard to keep the mood light for everybody. But you shouldn’t judge people for being wary of him. It’s hard to see someone as the good guy when their power is so... dark.”

Kagami wasn’t blaming people for being wary of Chat Noir. She could see the logic behind their suspicion. But she also believed that it wasn’t fair to the feline hero. It’s not like you could choose your powers... right? According to Ladyblog’s theory, you couldn’t. 

“He saved my life the other day.”

“He saved a lot of lives.” was Maëlys’ simple answer.

Kagami didn’t say anything more after that. 

Adrien wasn’t someone Kagami would consider as a ‘foe’ under normal circumstances. If they didn’t fight so passionately and intensely the first day they met, she wouldn’t believe he had it in him. Adrien was, overall, so calm, quiet and sweet. She didn’t think they would be such good friends either.

Maybe it made more sense than she expected. They were living and breathing Hollywood cliché, two rich and pretty kids dealing with mommy or daddy issues while getting perfect grades and juggling so many afterschool activities and hobbies. Except, Adrien didn’t really fit into this cliché. Kagami could play her part perfectly but she couldn’t imagine Adrien playing the ‘troubled sexy bad boy’ he was supposed to be. Not that Adrien wasn’t attractive but... he was far too nice to be a bad boy and he was prettier than he was sexy. He looked like a real-life Disney Prince, not someone who would ruin your life with their sexiness. 

“...then Alya told me Ladybug punched him in the face and it was hilarious.” Adrien grinned at the memory. 

“You seem to like Ladybug a lot.” Kagami commented before taking a sip from her cold water. They were sitting next to next on a bench in Place des Vosges, it was nice to have this quiet moment to themselves after a long day of school and training.

“Who doesn’t like Ladybug?” Adrien said matter-of-factly. Kagami agreed with him. She wasn’t one to admire superheroes. She was annoyed by the increase of superhero movies in cinema nowadays and she never read the comics or mangas her friends secretly brought to class when she was still in Japan. Yet, she would admit Ladybug was pretty impressing. She was clearly smart, beautiful and strong. Having a female public figure like this was satisfying for every woman in Paris or the entire world. 

“What about Chat Noir?” She looked at him under her bangs with an unreadable expression. Adrien looked back at her confusedly as this was the first time someone asked him this question. 

“What about him?” He squirmed uncomfortably. Kagami shrugged.

“I don’t know. You never talk about him.”

“Yeah, well. There’s not much to talk, I guess.” Kagami’s eyes hardened.

“Are you one of those people who think he’s useless?” Adrien raised an eyebrow at her snappish attitude. 

“Umm, no? I mean, he’s okay. He’s cool. I like him. I just like Ladybug more. Everyone has a favourite, right?” He grinned at her. “Why, is he yours?” Kagami turned her eyes forward, from this angle, she could see the back of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s sculpture. 

“He saved my life.” Adrien’s expression softened into a more serious and kinder one. 

“I am glad to hear that. Not that you were in danger but... I am glad you are safe now.” He smiled. “But it’s no biggie. It’s their job after all.” Her face hardened into a much more serious expression.

“It is to me. In my family, a debt is a debt. It must be paid. And I owe him my life.” Adrien was taken back by the firmness of her voice.

“I think you’re thinking this way too much. Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too seriously? They save people all the time. It’s not that big of a deal. You don’t have to pay him back or anything. You don’t owe him.”

“It’s not just that.” She turned her gaze away. “I... I don’t know. I feel like I have to talk to him at least.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know.” She said frustratedly. “I don’t know why I want to talk to him in the first place. I just want to.”

“Kagami...” Adrien looked at her with a bewildered expression. “Do you have... a crush on Chat Noir?”

“What?!” Her eyes widened. “Don’t be silly. I only saw him once. It’s ridiculous.”

“That’s what a crush is.” Adrien smiled at her assuringly. “It’s not love or anything. I mean, I wouldn’t blame you. He’s really cute and he could be really hot under that mask, you know?”

“Or hideous.” She grinned at him. “Are you gay for him, Adrien?” He grinned back.

“Nah, he’s not my type.”

The next time Kagami saw Chat Noir was 5 weeks after he saved her from falling to her death. When Kagami complained about the akuma attacks, Maëlys told her that they were lucky to be away from Chloé Bourgeois’ school. She was responsible for so many akumas that Collège Françoise Dupont was known as akumas’ playground. Kagami saw Chloé only once during a party with high society of Paris. Just like Adrien, she was forced to attend by her mother and she hoped that at least having Adrien around would lessen the burden and boredom. She wasn’t expecting to see Mayor’s daughter wrapped around Adrien like one of his father’s expensive suit jackets. She raised an eyebrow at Adrien questioningly, his suffering was pretty clear. So, being the awesome friend she was, Kagami saved Adrien from Chloé’s iron grip (with force) and thanked the blonde beauty for entertaining her date until she showed up. 

And this is how Kagami became Chloé’s number one enemy (or maybe a close second to Marinette). That was enough to figure out that Chloé was a troublemaker. Adrien didn’t want to say anything mean about Chloé, no matter how true it was, because they were close friends for years and Adrien mentioned that despite her attitude, Chloé was a good friend when she wanted to be. She was there for Adrien when his mother went missing and Kagami could respect that. So, she didn’t say much for the rest of the night. But she still knew the blonde girl was Papillon’s favourite person ever. 

But this time, it wasn’t her fault. 

Kagami had great reflexes, thanks to years of fencing training. The moment she saw the needles flying toward them, she grabbed Maëlys’ arm and pulled her down with herself, hiding behind recycling containers.

“Disgusting.” Maëlys made a face but Kagami wasn’t paying her enough attention to acknowledge that. There was no way she was going to become a victim to another akuma again.

“Come out, kids, it's time for your medical examination!” 

Chat Noir landed on the recycling containers in a crouching position, using his staff as a shield. 

“Hey! It was my turn. They have no appointment.”

“I am a doctor, not a veterinarian.” Chat looked at them over his shoulder without stopping spinning his staff.

“You have to run when I tell you. I will cover for you guys.” Kagami and Maëlys looked at each other and nodded. “Good. Wait for my signal.” He turned his eyes to their left, Kagami saw Ladybug calling for her Lucky Charm. 

“Now!” Kagami and Maëlys didn’t look behind, young fencer grabbed the other girl’s arm tightly and pulled her, running into a coffee shop.

“This isn’t ideal.” Kagami said between heavy breaths. “But this is the best we can do at the moment. At least we aren’t open targets.” Maëlys only nodded. She seemed pretty shaken. Akumas weren’t always this dangerous. But a crazy doctor was a valid fear.

“Doc, I guess you're going to miss your shift. It’s a tra _jeudi_!” They heard Chat Noir’s voice, they weren’t too far away. Luckily, Ladybug was as amazing as usual. Before Kagami could understand what was going on, a warm pink light swarmed them and all the damage disappeared like nothing happened. Kagami was helping Maëlys on her feet when the door of coffee shop opened and a worried Chat Noir showed up. Their eyes met and Kagami could hear people muttering in the background (‘oh my god, it’s Chat Noir’). Chat’s stiff muscles softened and he took a step toward them. Maëlys looked between them curiously. 

“Are you alright?” It took Kagami a couple of seconds to realize that he was talking to her.

“Yes.” She said, her voice came out steadier than she felt. “I am fine. Thank you.” Chat Noir’s expression softened and for a second, Kagami could swear he looked at her affectionately. Then a grin took over his face and he bowed down slightly.

“It was an honour to serve you,  _Ohime-sama_.”

Show off.

He winked at her before disappearing quickly. Kagami looked after him with wide eyes and a cold feeling in her chest. Something was missing. Something about the way he said _‘_ _ohime-sama_ _’_  reminded her of something or someone but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She forced her mind to remember yet all she got was a headache.

“You never told me you know Chat Noir.” Maëlys’ voice interrupted her inner conflict. Japanese girl looked at her friend confusedly. 

“What?”

“It seems like he knows you. He knew you were Japanese at least.” Yes. He knew. But how? It was a dangerous train of thoughts. Kagami never read identity theories page on Ladyblog. She wasn’t interested in finding out their identities. She knew it would be a terrible situation for them and for her as well. She also had a lot of respect to try to figure out the person behind the mask. She tried not to think about it.

“Maybe he is one of those stupid anime lovers who think every Asian is Japanese.” She said calmly, trying to convince herself more than Maëlys. But deep down, she knew Chat wasn’t one of those people. She didn’t know how but she _knew_. 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Kagami looked at the screen of her laptop thoughtfully. As she promised to herself before, she wasn’t trying to figure out their identities. Yet, there was something about the black clad hero that attracted her attention. She couldn’t put her finger on it. She watched several videos of him fighting against akumas or throwing silly grins and winks at the cameras. He was clearly a dork. Not someone Kagami would look at twice. At least she thought so. But again, Adrien also had a dorky side which she discovered after becoming close friends and it never bothered her. 

Chat Noir was a jokester (a lame one) and he was impulsive. He was reckless and constantly walking on that thin line between bravery and stupidity. But there was something really impressive about the way he fought. He was definitely not a pro at Bōjutsu. Kagami wasn’t either but she knew enough to understand that sometimes he was holding his weapon like a sword, not a staff. Maybe it was a habitual reflex. Yet, it was obvious that he wasn’t a stranger to martial arts. The way he used his staff reminded her of sabre fencing. Of course, what Kagami trained for her whole life was a unique combination of art and martials so the similarities between what she practiced at class and what she saw on her screen were limited. Yet, it was still there. He wasn’t mindlessly waving a staff around, he knew what he was doing. Well, most of the time. 

Kagami didn’t know why she was watching videos of one of Paris’ famous superheroes for two hours. She could claim that she was studying his fighting style as a fencer and maybe she was interested in this magic nonsense but that didn’t explain why she paused a video of him giving a brief interview and rewatched it again. Something about Chat Noir’s silly grin and bright green eyes touched her. Maybe it was a sense of familiarity, maybe it was the freedom in his soul that awakened her interest. Chat Noir’s silliness didn’t come off as annoying because there was something really admirable in him, his will to live freely without caring about how people saw him. What they thought of him. Maybe this freedom came with the mask. Maybe Kagami was surrounded by so many people that were wearing ‘perfect’ masks that his genuine silliness and sincere smile felt more real than everyone around him. Maybe his mask made him more real than anyone else she knew. It was such a hilarious cliché that she wanted to laugh at herself. But she couldn’t. Because she admired it. And maybe she was a bit jealous of that freedom, too. She wanted to know what it felt like. 

And it all suddenly made sense. When he saved her, when he held her closely as they flew over the city, she felt a scrap of that freedom. And she wanted to understand, she wanted to feel it again. And it was him who brought it to her life, even if it was only for seconds. Maybe that’s why she wanted to talk to him, to understand. What was it like to feel this way all the time? Was he one of those trapped souls under that mask, too? Was it why he cherished the freedom more than his partner? Was that why he wasn’t afraid to test the limits?

Her hand reached forward, delicate long fingers touching the screen of her laptop softly.  

 Her eyes widened as she looked at the paused video of Chat Noir winking at a reporter on the screen. “Oh, no.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really so hard to write a fic in a lang that's not your mother tongue, especially when you only studied that lang by yourself... Oh, well, I am still learning so I can blame my cringeworthy lang skills for my poor writing skills lol

When her mother asked Kagami to drop by her office after her fencing training and announced that they were going to move to France, Kagami accepted it without any resistance. She wasn’t happy about it but there was no point in fighting with Asako Tsurugi. It was hopeless and despite her challenging, competitive personality in fencing, she was no fool. She knew how to pick her battles. Kagami has always been realistic. Fencing taught her that with good amount of training and determination, she could do wonders. But she also knew that there were some things that cannot be. Without her talent and sharp mind, she could be a good fencer but not the best as she was.  

So, when her mother told her that they were moving to France, she set her expectations straight and realistic. She didn’t assume she’d make lots of friends. It was almost impressive how quickly she and Adrien became friends in the first place. But it was also crazy how welcoming some of the other people were. 

As she sat next to Maëlys on one of the benches in the school yard, under the early morning sun warming their skin, she was surprised how easy it was.  

“All I am saying is, Carapace looks like a nerd.” Eleonore said while Elise was braiding her shiny golden hair. Kagami wasn’t a fan of long hair but Eleonore looked like a princess with her hip length sun kissed hair. Her hair, somehow, reminded her of Chat Noir.  

“How dare you!” said Maëlys but the grin on her face indicated that she wasn’t really offended. “Everyone knows turtles are the coolest!” 

“Turtles are cool.” Eleonore agreed. “But he has goggles instead of a mask!” 

“Goggles are cool, too.” Elise added from behind her, holding hair pins between her teeth. 

“If Carapace is a nerd, then Chat Noir is a dork.” Maëlys grinned at Eleonore. Blonde girl turned her grey eyes toward Maëlys, raising an eyebrow. 

“Chat Noir is an underappreciated hero with many qualities including a really cute ass, pretty eyes and cool suit.”  Kagami turned her eyes to Eleonore with her casual blank expression. Her mother always said Kagami had a great poker face. Maybe she was right.  

“At the end of the day,” Elise said, tying Eleonore’s hair, “we all know Rena is the hottest.” 

“Girl!” Maëlys got on her knees on the bench to high five Elise. “She is so hot; my bisexual heart is beating faster every time I think about her.” 

“What about you, Kagami?” Eleonore wasn’t looking at her, she was checking her reflection on her phone’s black screen, styling her bangs with her fingers. 

“What about me?” She asked without leaking any emotion in her voice. 

“Who is the hottest hero in your opinion?” 

“Ladybug would be hot if she didn’t look like a 10 years old wearing a onesie.” Maëlys pressed her hand against her mouth to prevent herself from spitting out the water she was sipping. “Carapace seems like a guy who would say ‘dude’ and ‘bro’ a lot and it’s a big turn off. Queen Bee is full of herself. Rena Rouge is cool but Volpina ruined her for me. And Chat Noir...” She broke the eye contact and looked down at her hands for a second before getting her poker face back on. “He is a dork. I don’t like dorks.” 

“How boring.” Eleonore said disappointedly. “No need to think so deeply. It is not like we know them in real life or we are going to date them. They are just public figures to lust after.” 

None of the other comments made her feel this uncomfortable. She definitely didn’t lust after people. She didn’t have time to have silly celebrity crushes. The only time she actually considered a ‘crush’ was after meeting Adrien properly. But soon she decided it was just an attraction to his talent and skills in fencing. He was a worthy opponent and she appreciated him as a person and as a fencer.  

Chat Noir could be attractive if he didn’t act like a silly child. This is what she’s been telling to herself lately. After Chat saved her and Maëlys from that akuma, she was frustrated and annoyed by her own confusion. She was interested. In him. Yet she didn’t know what was the reason. She wasn’t one to fall for good looks (and despite how good that black suit made his body look, with that wild hair and annoying grin, he definitely wasn’t Kagami’s type and she could count better looking people, like Adrien). She didn’t know much about him minus him claiming himself as a pun master. There was literally no reason to think about him so much. 

Yet, she still did. 

 

 

“What does your nickname even mean?” He was looking down at the screen of his phone with a frown on his face. His confused look brought a tiny smile on Kagami’s face as she organized her French literature notes. 

“It’s from Goldoni’s Commedia dell’arte.” She answered his question. “It’s actually pretty popular in English, known as Harlequin which is an old French word.” 

“So, you named your secret twitter account after a... clown?” Kagami turned her head toward Adrien and looked at him amusedly. 

“Adrien, you poor uncultured child. It’s pantomime. And it’s also more fun compared to chemistry.” Adrien's eyes widened with mock surprise and laughed. 

“That’s where you are wrong, Kagami. Science is much more fun than you think.” He looked down at his phone again and locked the screen before turning to his friend. “And, can I ask, why? Why did you name your account after a pantomime character? It’s good for secret identities, I think but I am curious. I didn’t know you liked Goldoni so much.”  

“I took cinema class once.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. They were talking about the birth of Italian cinema and I always had a thing for Vittorio de Sica since my grandmother was a fan of him and showed me his every movie. And then they mentioned how Italian cinema during and before 1920s was inspired by Goldoni’s commedia dell’arte, I got curious and read it. It’s pretty good actually.” 

“I was joking before.” Adrien said softly. “I like commedia dell’arte, too.” 

“Did you know that, since the most of the employees and equipment came from France, the early Italian movies were heavily inspired by French movies?” 

“Well, I didn’t know that.” Adrien smiled at her. It was a genuine and sweet smile that made Kagami wonder why he was looking so intensely at her. “I also didn’t know you were interested in cinema.” Her expression turned into a much colder one and Adrien clearly regretted saying this since he also knew what it felt like to be limited, restricted. 

“My mother thinks it’s a waste of time. She always hated my grandmother’s collections and how she influenced me.” She didn’t look at Adrien, her eyes were focused at the book despite not being able to focus on it while talking. “She wants me to focus on fencing first, then school and ballet. Maybe archery, too. That’s all I am allowed to like.” 

“I know what it feels like.” Adrien muttered softly. His eyes scanned Kagami’s face and seeing how down she looked, he realized it wasn’t time for self-pity. He wanted to distract her and maybe even make her smile. “At least now you can follow cinema accounts on your secret Twitter account.” 

“Wow, look at us.” Kagami said with a sarcastic tone. “Rebellious teenagers, creating Twitter accounts with fake names and identities to follow their guilty pleasures and hobbies they aren’t allowed to have while hiding from world and their parents.” 

“Wow, we are really nasty.” Adrien grinned at Kagami as he softly nudged her side. This brought a soft smile on Kagami’s face as she rolled her eyes. “You know what,” Adrien added with a sudden determination. “I don’t know much about cinema but I always liked Godard and Truffaut and I know a place where we can watch old nouvelle vague movies. They are showing one each Thursday, I think. My friend Nino showed me that place. It’s pretty cool. Your mother doesn’t need to know.”  

Kagami’s hand stilled on her book, Adrien was looking at her expectantly. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes under her bangs with those sharp eyes that took Adrien’s breath away the first time he saw her without the mask.  

“I would like that.” 

 

 

Kagami hated compound bows. Not only the look and design but she also hated using them. She preferred long bows and recurve ones. Definitely not compound bows. And despite doing archery for almost 6 years, her mother still didn’t know that. She looked down at Diamond brand compound bow on her bed and sighed. She stopped getting excited when mother bought gifts for her years ago. She never knew what to get her and Kagami appreciated the thought for a while until she realized it wasn’t her mother. She would tell her assistant what to buy for her daughter and Alessandra would buy it for her. And Alessandra saw Kagami, like, 5 times before? Maybe. Her mother hired Alessandra two weeks after coming to France and she was still with them. Yet, Kagami didn’t spend that much time around the house or her mother’s office. When she was at home, she was usually studying in her room. 

She was used to her mother being distant. But gifts like this reminded her of the cold air between them and Kagami wished she would stop buying things for her.  

She didn’t need a reminder. 

Maybe she was right about choosing your own path. Maybe it was time to stop listening to her mother and do as she pleased. Maybe it was okay to have her own interests that her mother didn’t approve. 

She looked down at her phone and dialled Adrien’s number. A second of indecision wasn’t hesitation.  

Kagami Tsurugi never hesitated. 

“Hey, Adrien. How about we go to cinema this week?” 

 

 

“I can’t believe you are a morning person.” Maëlys complained, taking off her horn-rimmed glasses to rub her eyes with her long pale fingers. She looked miserable. Maëlys had a pale skin that makes the dark circles under her eyes look more serious than it actually was. Her eyes were bloodshot from spending long hours on PC to finish their assignment.  

“I am not a morning person.” Kagami placed her backpack on the desk before sitting down. "I am used to waking up early. It isn’t the same thing.” 

“I am used to being sleep deprived but it doesn’t stop me from feeling like I am about to die.” She kept whining, placing her head on the desk and closed her eyes with a soft whine. Maëlys wasn’t someone Kagami would consider as a friend if it was a couple of months ago. They were so different. Kagami was a fighter. She liked challenges, no, she loved challenges. She couldn’t go a day without small challenges. It didn’t matter if it was only in her head. A victory was still enjoyable while a failure made her face burn with anger. She didn’t have time to feel disappointed, anger fuelled her soul. That was why she got akumatized in the first place. She didn’t cry, she didn’t whine. All she wanted to do was fight back.  

She lived for challenges.  

She lived to be the best at everything she does. 

Maëlys was not like that. She whined when she couldn’t get something done. She cried openly at silly things like fictional characters or sad movie endings. Her anger was usually unreasonable but short-lived. She wasn’t worried about being her best self. She wasn’t worried about being the best at what she does. She liked drawing and she didn’t mind someone else being better than her. She was in love with everything around her. A pretty flower was enough to get her excited. She liked hugs and cheek kisses. 

She was normal.  

And somehow, Kagami liked this. She was surrounded by competitive people like herself. And she liked that, too. It made beating them ten times sweeter. However, it was nice to have someone around who was not always competing with her.  

“Do you want to get some coffee after the class?” Maëlys offered without opening her eyes.  

“Sorry, I can’t.” Kagami answered. “. And I promised Adrien we would go to the cinema together. After that, I have archery.” Maëlys raised her head with a sly smile on her face.  

“Hmm, that model friend of yours?” Kagami sighed and pulled her book out of her backpack. 

“Yes, he is the one.” Maëlys sat straight with a new-found energy. 

“Are you guys seriously not dating?” 

“No.” Kagami muttered distractedly.  

“That’s too bad. You guys really look so cute together. But...” She bit her lower lip with a shy smile and looked at Kagami under her lashes. “If you aren’t interested... would you mind if I take my chance?” 

Would she? Kagami liked Adrien. A lot. He was friendly, sweet, nice and a great fencer. But that was all he was. A friend. And Maëlys was her friend, too. Her two friends dating wouldn’t be a bad idea. But of course, Kagami knew Adrien. You would hit him in the face with a huge sign saying ‘I LOVE YOU’ and he would call you ‘a great friend’ with that adorable dumb smile on his stupid face. He was blind enough to miss his classmate’s huge crush on him and even Kagami noticed it after seeing her only once.  

“Try, if you want to. I don’t own him.” She affirmed. “But be careful. He’s the most oblivious person you’ll ever meet. So, if you want to have something with him, you should be direct and open.” 

“Aww.” Maëlys laughed. “Cute, attractive, nice, polite and oblivious? Sounds like my type.” 

“I didn’t know you had a type.” 

“Come on. I like Carapace. He’s cute, attractive, nice, polite.” Kagami look at her with her best ‘are you freaking serious’ expression. 

“He was a hero for, like, 10 minutes. How did you get so much from that?” Maëlys winked at her with a sly grin. 

“Yes, but Ladyblog girl seems to know a lot about the new hero. She wrote a long article on him.” Kagami lifted an eyebrow. 

“And you trust a stranger’s opinions?” Red headed girl shrugged. 

“It doesn’t matter. He’s just a hero, remember? Someone to lust after. And being cute is enough. On the other hand, your friend...” She grinned at Kagami and nudged her side. Kagami pushed her arm away and grimaced. 

“Don’t you dare to mention lusting and Adrien in the same sentence. Not when I am around.” Maëlys sobered up and looked very serious for a moment. 

“You sure you are not interested?” 

“I am.” Maëlys’ lips pulled into a playful smile again. 

“Maybe you have someone else in your mind?” Kagami avoided her friend’s playful question and opened her book. It was silly to assume that she had someone else in her mind just because she wasn’t falling for Adrien like half of the population of Paris. She didn’t have anyone in her mind. At least, she wasn’t sure she did. If she was sure, she would get it. Kagami was never afraid to go for what she wanted. If she was certain she had her eyes on a superhero dressed up like a cat with a kinky looking black suit, she would pursue him. No matter how crazy it sounds. She would get what she wanted. Or at least, she would try. Because Kagami Tsurugi would never give up without a fight. 

The problem was, for the first time in forever, she didn’t know what she wanted.  

 

 

“So, which movie are we going to see?” Kagami didn’t look over her shoulder but she knew Adrien was waving at Maëlys before facing her. They only met twice before when Adrien dropped by to hang out after school and invited Maëlys, too. Red head kept talking about how nice and sweet her friend was. She wasn’t an idiot. Like half of the Paris, Maëlys was falling for Agreste Junior’s charm.  

“ _Vivre sa vie_. One of the best movies ever—” He looked down at the huge bag in Kagami’s hand. “What's inside the bag? It looks heavy.” 

“It’s not heavy. It’s my bow. Well, the one my mother bought me.” She explained with a sharp look at her bag and walked toward the car. Adrien followed her with a confused frown.  

“You don’t sound so happy.” Kagami didn’t want to talk about it, she hated when she sounded like she was whining or complaining. Yet, he was asking and Kagami was only human. Also, Adrien was a friend and he would be the last person to judge him.  

“It’s silly.” She mumbled. “I hate compound bows.” Adrien lifted an eyebrow but he knew Kagami well enough to not make a comment. The last thing he needed was Kagami’s anger. She could be teryfying when she wanted to. 

“Can I see it?” He asked instead as they got into the car.  

“Sure.” She threw the bag on Adrien’s lap without taking her eyes off the streets. Adrien pulled the zipper down and took the bow in his hands. His eyes were wide with curiosity. Kagami gave him three classes before, just for fun. She took one of her long bows to teach him some tricks. Adrien was a fast learner and he was genuinely interested but unfortunately his schedule was already full and he couldn’t take any archery classes this year. 

“Wow. That looks like it belongs to Hawkeye or Green Arrow. It’s almost scary.” He grinned at her. Kagami looked at the offending object in his hand and frowned. 

“It looks stupid. And it’s stupid.” Adrien’s expression could be called smug if he wasn’t  _Adrien Agreste_ she was talking about. Adrien wasn’t smug. Kagami doubted he knew how to be smug. 

“You really hate a bow?” She threw her hands up annoyedly.  

“It’s just—Anyway.” She closed her eyes to take a deep breath and calm down before opening them again. “About the movie—” She was interrupted with a loud bang and the car stopping suddenly. They looked at each other for a second, Adrien opened the door quickly and got off the car, scanning the streets with wide eyes. Kagami got off, too, standing next to him as she tried to see what he was looking for.  “What was that?” 

Adrien’s eyes widened with an understanding that Kagami couldn’t grasp and squinted his eyes with a deep frown. His expression changed from innocent confusion to a serious and determined one.  

“An akuma.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I'm lanthimo on tumblr


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